An association has been found between poor oral hygiene and the development of cancerous tumors.

There are many types of cancer and, despiteactive development of universal methods of treatment, scientists are trying to create drugs against only their specific types. A new discovery made by researchers from Columbia University, can help in the treatment of colon cancer - scientists have already identified the cause of its accelerated development and figured out how to slow it down. Many may be frightened by the fact that the reason lies in poor oral hygiene.

The study found that accelerated developmentColon cancer is associated with the work of the bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum, which develops in dental plaque and is involved in the formation of periodontitis and caries. Initially, scientists could not figure out exactly how it accelerates the growth of cancer cells, but during the study they found out that the bacterium has an assistant, the annexin A1 protein.

Protein annexin A1 does not interact with itselfbacterium, and with the FadA molecule it synthesizes. The reactions arising between them stimulate the development of tumors, and they turn out to be the most dangerous and often fatal. The researchers' guess was confirmed during the analysis of data on 466 patients with colon cancer. Most of the data indicated that people with the most severe predictions had the highest protein concentration.

Fortunately, finding the root of the problem allowedscientists start developing a new treatment method that hits right on target. It is believed that the future method will be aimed at reducing the concentration of bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum and blocking the protein annexin A1. Researchers warned that maintaining the purity of the oral cavity does not provide protection against a fatal disease — many other factors influence development.

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